Team News:
Bernardo Corradi made his debut for City, and Claudio Reyna made a welcome return after recovering from the injury sustained at the end of his World Cup. For the hosts, Richard Edghill played against his old club, with Richard Dunne and Paul Dickov the familiar faces for him.
It was slightly overcast and a bit muggy, warm but without the blazing heat of the last few weeks.
The Match:
The teams emerged to the strains of Status Quo’s “Rocking All Over The World”.
City only took seven minutes to open the scoring, Trevor Sinclair finding Claudio Reyna on the six-yard line, and the American rolled the ball home despite having hardly any space to work in. Bernardo Corradi was involved in the build-up after already displaying some neat touches on the ball.
The Blues were keeping possession well, but Joe Hart was forced to make a save on 15 minutes after Bradford’s new signing David Graham shot on the turn from just inside the area.
The young keeper was called on again just two minutes later when the veteren striker Windass tried to slide the ball home from the corner of the six-yard area, but Hart did well to deflect the ball over, not knowing that the flag had been raised for offside.
City’s Italian striker was acquitting himself well, and only some expert shielding of the ball by Richard Edghill denied him taking a shot on 21 minutes.
Ousmane Dabo has spoken of his fondness for taking aim from distance, and he was true to his word on 24 minutes when he got a rasping shot in from 30 yards out, although it went straight at Bradford’s keeper, Donovan Ricketts.
Micah Richards forced himself into the area on 27 minutes before crossing to Corradi. The Italian nodded the ball to Sinclair, who volleyed the ball straight at Ricketts.
The Bantams’ stopper made his best save so far a minute later when he got down well to parry Corradi’s volley on the turn away from goal.
Trevor Sinclair had another chance but as he was taking aim the referee had called play back after a Bradford player had gone down injured. Sibierski made Ricketts work again with just a couple of minutes to the break, the keeper diving to his left to stop the low, curling effort.
City looked confident after half-time, with Trevor Sinclair going close after five minutes, his shot across the face of goal being finger-tipped round the post by Ricketts. Paul Dickov, on as a replacement for Corradi, was only inches away from touching the ball in at the post after the Bradford keeper had made contact.
Another replacement, Stephen Ireland, had the next good chance on 57 minutes. Dickov headed down a chip from Dabo and the young Irishman’s first-time shot on the half-volley was not too far wide of Bradford’s left-hand post.
City made more substitutions after the hour mark, and when Joey Barton came on we had the sight of two number eights in sky blue, with Didi Hamann also on the pitch in the same number as Barton.
Samaras, on for Sinclair, combined well with Richards, who bustled into the area once more but could not quite find a blue shirt with his cross.
Samaras spurned a great chance to seal the game with six minutes left when, in acres of space in the area, he headed a chipped Ireland cross straight at a Bradford defender with the goal at his mercy.
With time ticking away, the home side had a chance of their own, but Symes chose to head the ball downwards from eight yards out and the ball bounced over the City crossbar.
